Conventionally, if someone wishes to place a take-out order at a restaurant, that person can call the restaurant, place the order with an employee stationed inside the restaurant, and drive and pick up the order once it is ready. Take-out ordering represents a large portion of the restaurant industry in terms of dollars. For example, in 2010, the restaurant industry did approximately six-hundred (600) billion dollars in revenue, of which twelve percent (12%), or roughly seventy-two (72) billion dollars was from take-out ordering. Moreover, there was a ten percent (10%) growth in this segment in 2010. Accordingly, take-out ordering represents a significant and important component of the overall restaurant industry.
Unfortunately, this segment is typically managed in such a way as to actually diminish the potential revenue gains that can be achieved. For example, most restaurants do not have a dedicated system or staff for handling take-out orders. As a result, whichever employee is handling a customer's call is likely being distracted from his or her normal job. Moreover, the restaurant can often be busy, noisy, etc., which hinders communication of the take-out order between the customer and restaurant employee. Furthermore, the configuration and capabilities of the order entry and telephony technology within a restaurant are typically not up to standard for order-taking activities. This can result in a difficult or unsatisfying ordering experience, incorrect orders, long hold times, dropped calls, and the like. In fact, ninety percent (90%) of all take-out orders arrive incorrectly. This can result in unhappy and even lost customers. Moreover, the employee is must less likely to try and up-sell the customer, further reducing the potential revenue and profitability of the take-out segment.